With Or Without You
by mtranc3
Summary: A retelling of Harry's fifth year, with an HD twist. This chapter: In which there are mistaken identities, vampires, one of which is a fake, hormonal Veelas, silly costumes, and Take That.
1. Prologue

**Title:** With Or Without You  
**Author:** mtranc3  
**Rating:** R (overall)  
**Pairing:** Harry/Draco  
**Category:** Romance, Angst  
**Summary:** A re-telling of Harry's fifth year, with an H/D twist.  
**Warnings:** Unbeta'd  
**Author's Notes:** I don't know where this is going exactly, but it demanded be written down, and I complied!  
**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, no profit is being made. Title comes from a song by U2.

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**Prologue**

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Harry Potter was happy to be back at Hogwarts. He had felt like a caged lion all summer, having to put up with the Dursleys while knowing that Voldemort had risen to power once more, and had already begun recruiting his Death Eater army. 

Things hadn't picked up in the last ten days before the new school year started, when the Weasleys had taken him to Grimmauld Place, the house that belonged to Sirius' family, either. The Order of the Phoenix - the elite group of witches and wizards devoted in the fight against Voldemort, which Dumbledore first assembled in the last War - were meeting up in extreme secrecy, and he, Ron and Hermione had only scraps of information to go by. And Harry hated being left in the dark, and hated being treated like a child, when he had proven himself up for the challenge time and time again.

Thus, it felt good being back at Hogwarts and finally having things to fill his time, and ease the anxiety over what was happening outside. However, that little peace of mind didn't come without a price; after the events of the previous June, Harry could no longer look over at the Hufflepuff table without feeling his stomach constricting, and tried to avoid Cho's smileless face at any cost.

It wasn't only him being affected though, it was the whole school, and it wasn't a tangible change either; but for some reason he felt that students were banding together with their house-mates more so than before, not heading the advice the Sorting Hat had clearly given during the Sorting Ceremony: how imperative House unity was in times of adversity.

Only the Slytherins seemed unaffected by the gloomy atmosphere; they were behaving as haughty as ever, but now there was an air of gleefulness to their attitude. It wasn't surprising given the fact that most of their parents were, if not active Death Eaters, supporters of Voldermort's campaign of discrimination and horror.

Harry's classes were also a source of concern, though that of a different kind. As a fifth-year, Harry had the extra burden of the coming OWL examinations, and even though they were only in the first week of lessons, Hermione had taken it as a personal challenge to herself, to create studying schedules for him and Ron, and make them stick to the overbearing study hours, hoping that the force of habit would replace their 'old ways'.

It didn't seem like Hermione's plan was succeeding though: It was the first Sunday of the term, and Hermione had arranged a reading session for them in the library, but Ron was drawing stick figures on his parchment in the pretense of writing his Transfiguration essay, and Harry was snoozing, hidden behind a huge tome entitled 'Vampires And Other Vicious Creatures of The Dark'. Remus Lupin was re-assigned (to the joy of most Gryffindors, and to the dismay of one Severus Snape) as professor of Defense Against The Dark Arts, and Harry was determined to do well in the subject. But a lazy Sunday afternoon, and the warm rays of summer's withdrawing sun, didn't do much for his resolve, and he had fallen asleep.

Hermione pretended not to listen to the snoring, or Ron's soft chuckling, but after a particularly noisy snort on Harry's part, she huffed and dropped her book on the table. Ron hastily covered his drawings and she gave him a sideways look, that all but said: 'who are you trying to fool?'

She patted Harry lightly on the shoulder, but he wouldn't be roused.

"Honestly!" she said and pulled the book in front of him. It landed on the table with a 'thawck' and Harry jerked from his chair, his eyes blinking in sleepy confusion.

Hermione raised an eyebrow and Harry glared at her, fixing the glasses that had slid to his nose.

"I closed my eyes for a second!" he said indignantly.

Ron chuckled, "Sure mate, even the people passing outside could hear your snoring."

Harry wanted to glare at him too, but a grin was playing on the edge of his lips, so the effect was ruined. He half-heartedly picked up his book again and begun reading. He could feel rather than see Hermione snatching Ron's quill away and Ron sulking on his seat, and he thought that whatever fate may have in store for them, he was honestly glad to be back at Hogwarts.

**********TBC**


	2. Chapter 1

**Title: **With Or Without You  
**Author:** mtranc3   
**Rating:** R (overall)  
**Pairing: **Harry/Draco  
**Category:** Romance, Angst  
**Summary:** A re-telling of Harry's fifth year, with an H/D twist. This chapter: a new school year begins, an old rivalry continues.  
**Warnings: **Unbeta'd  
**Author's Notes:** I don't know where this is going exactly, but it demanded to be written down, and I complied!  
**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, no profit is being made. Title comes from a song by U2.

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Chapter 1:** Status Quo  
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"I don't know _how_" Hermione said in a befuddled tone, "it is possible for Malfoy to be any more obnoxious than he was before, but the Prefect's badge seems to have elevated him to new heights of nastiness."

"What do you mean, Hermione?" Harry asked, half-interested; after all, he, himself was never surprised at the amount of nastiness Malfoy was capable of.

"I passed him by on my way to breakfast this morning, and he was deducting points from a second-year Hufflepuff for having 'such as ugly face and ruining his morning appetite'."

Harry rolled his eyes and Hermione turned to Ron expectantly. He was a couple of steps ahead of them, and had probably been inattentive throughout Hermione's account.

Hermione pursed her lips disapprovingly. She was expecting more from Ron now that he was a Prefect.

"Ronald!"

"What? Oh, right, yes, he's a foul git, but really Hermione, what did you expect? At least now we can take points off Slytherins every times he takes point off from us..." Ron said with a sheepish grin.

"Ronald Weasley you will do no such thing!"

Ron burst out laughing and Harry looked away from Hermione grinning. It _was_ funny.

Hermione whispered 'honestly', and marched ahead of them. Ron caught Harry's eye and they started laughing afresh.

----

"Gather round, gather round!"

Hagrid gestured for the students to group up in the usual spot where they had their Care of Magical Creatures lessons, and dropped the box he was holding to the ground.

The Gryffindors and the Slytherins rounded the box carefully, weary of what Hagrid would dish out on them this time. Hagrid was notorious for his not-so-prudent choices of animals.

The box rattled a little bit, and Hagrid smiled when a few of the students flinched.

"Don't worry yerselves. These 'ere are 'armless little tiddlers." He plunged his hand in the box and retrieved a fury ball of an animal that looked like a kitten.

Harry, as the rest of the students, inched nearer, curious, and a little relieved that the creature didn't blast fire, or seem dangerous in any immediate way. On closer inspection, he noticed that it didn't look like a kitten so much: its tail was fluffier that a cat's, and its fur was spotted like a Dalmatian dog's.

"This 'ere is a Kneazle and don't yer be mistaken by its appearance, it can be quite aggressive."

The Kneazle wiggled in the air, trying to escape Hagrid's grasp, and all the girls cooed at the sight.

"Are they useful for anything besides making cushions?" Malfoy sneered in his customary drawl.

Some of the Slytherins laughed, and Malfoy looked self-pleased.

"Well now that yeh mention it, they 'ave a very interesting ability: they can detect suspicious characters, ya know, those that are up to no good..." Hagrid said with a pointed look at Malfoy. It was time for the Gryffindors to snicker and Hagrid pulled the rest of the Kneazles out of the box, and gestured for the students to come closer and pet them.

"Dumbledore said we'll keep 'em 'ere in the castle, the whole school year. Thinks they might be useful, given you-know-who is back, and there sure is going ter be 'suspicious characters' going about..." Hagrid said in a quite voice so that only Harry, Ron and Hermione would hear.

Hermione nodded and then squealed with excitement when the Kneazle she was trying to beckon, finally gave in and approached her.

She stroked it, carefully at first, and it produced a mewling sound, nuzzling its head on her lap. Ron went over to pet it as well, saying how he'd always wanted one for a pet, but they required a special licence, and their fingers met momentarily; Hermione snatched her hand back and both of their faces turned bright red.

Ron was about to blurt something when they heard a loud hissing noise;

The Kneazle near Malfoy had bared its fangs and it was sitting on its haunches, ready to leap. Malfoy had his hands inside his pockets and was staring at it disdainfully.

Hagrid tried to distract the Kneazle's attention, and Draco grimaced, mumbling something about 'stupid furballs' before turning around.

"It's not only Hippogriffs that don't like him, then" Harry said and Ron chortled.

----

On their way back to the castle after the lesson had ended, Malfoy and his gang were walking a little ahead of them, and Ron wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, saying in a loud voice:

"Perceptive creatures Kneazles, eh?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and continued walking. The Slytherins had stopped and Harry could see, even in the distance, that Malfoy's shoulders had tensed up.

"No wonder that _you'd_ think so Weaselby," he sneered turning around, Crabbe and Goyle in toe "they are plebeian creatures, that families like yours can afford. Tell us, how does a hand-me-down Kneazle look like Weaselby?"

Ron clenched his fists, and Harry sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"It's no wonder that it didn't like _you_ Malfoy, Hagrid did say they can detect suspicious characters. Haven't joined the Death Eaters already now, have you?"

Something dangerous flashed in Draco's eyes, and now students that were passing by, haulted to watch the display.

Harry placed a hand on Ron's arm, telling him to let it go, but Ron was as unmoving as big rock.

"Concerned now that the Dark Lord's back, aren't you Weasley, what with your muggle-loving family and Mudblood friends..."

Malfoy didn't complete the sentence because Ron had lunged at him, and he'd have topple him over as well, if it wasn't for Harry holding him back by his cloak, and for Crabbe and Goyle, who had walked in front of Malfoy, forming a sort of human-shield.

"Come on, Ron, he's not worth it." Harry said, and it was the first time Draco paid him any attention during the whole exchange. His eyes were stone cold and unreadable, and he had turned his gaze away, before Harry had time to analyse it.

"Yes, Weaselby, do as Potty tells you – as the ever-faithful, but cowardly sidekick..."

It was purely thanks to Harry that Ron hadn't leaped this time. Seamus and Dean spotted them and rushed over to help, and they managed to pull Ron away, but not before he gave Malfoy the 'V' sign, accompanied by a string of words which Mrs. Weasley would surely have an apoplexy hearing.

Crabbe and Goyle relaxed their postures, and Harry turned his head around, spatting at Draco:

"Who's the coward, Malfoy? Fight your own battles, why don't you?"

Draco was about to say something, but Harry didn't care enough to stay and find out what.  
.

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 2

**Title:** With Or Without You  
**Author:** mtranc3  
**Rating:** R (overall)  
**Pairing:** Harry/Draco  
**Category:** Romance, Angst  
**Summary:** A re-telling of Harry's fifth year, with an H/D twist.  
**Warnings:** Unbeta'd  
**Author's Notes:** I don't know where this is going exactly, but it demanded to be written down, and I complied!  
**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, no profit is being made. The title of the comes from a song by U2, and the title of this chapters is from a song by The Beatles.

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**Chapter 2:** A day in the life  
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Draco stormed in his dormitory room in a fury of black robes. He plopped on the bed, creasing the carefully made sheets.

He hated not having the last word in an argument, and bloody Potter with his infuriating superior attitude, had just robbed him with of that.

He flipped on his back and crossed his legs, not bothering to take off his boots. The room was thankfully empty; most students had already headed for lunch, so he could have a few quiet moments to himself. For an only-child like Draco, raised in a huge estate, the close confinement of school life, and the constant company of other people, sometimes felt a bit asphyxiating.

He loosened up his tie and his thoughts flew back to Potter. Draco was supposed to be the superior one, especially now that the Dark Lord had risen to power once more, and mudbloods, half-bloods, and muggle-loving fools, like the holy trio, should be cowering in fear. But no, not them; they insisted still, on parading around as if they owned the school, refusing to acknowledge the fact that war was an imminent and very real possibility.

His father had told him over the summer how great things were in store for those who'd support the Dark Lord's cause, and how fates worse than death awaited those who opposed him, and Draco planned on being with the winning side. He earnestly wanted to prove himself to his father; Lucius had been gravely displeased with his course in Hogwarts: his mediocre grades, his repeated failures at Quidditch, his numerous detentions... he had expected more of Draco, and he was getting tired of hearing how it was all 'Potter's fault'.

But this was how Draco honestly felt; Potter had ruined everything, from the very first moment Draco had stepped his foot at Hogwarts; Potter was the reason he had been ridiculed, no, _humiliated_, many a time, and he was stealing all the attention that should have rightfully been Draco's. For, what was special in a half-blood that befriended the likes of Weasley and Granger, and defied those that were better than him, and the _only _reason he was famous was because of a stupid scar?

He had promised himself during the summer, that he wouldn't let Potter get to him anymore, and swore to his father that he would prove his worth when the time would come (something which Lucius had been rather cryptic about), and still, the mere sight of Potter reduced him to playground fighting. He squashed down the voice in his head saying that playground fighting was all Potter and he had been doing for the last four years, and resolved to behave more maturely from now on. He had to keep his eyes and ears open, and not waste his breath on Gryffindor gits.

And contrary to popular opinion, he _wasn't_ a coward. Just because Potter had encountered you-know-who a few times and had come out unscathed... It was dumb luck, Potter was incapable of anything else.

Draco frowned, not happy with the way his last argument was going, when Blaise Zabini popped his head through the door.

"Aren't you coming to lunch?"

Draco got up with a dejected sigh, the word 'coward' still playing in his head.

Blaise was still standing at the door and Draco snapped at him,

"Get a move on, will you?"

Blaise gave him a bewildered look and moved out of the way. "What got your knickers in a twist Draco?"

"Shut up" Draco said, going out of the room. Blaise shrugged and followed behind him.

----

"One would assume you'd be more attentive, Potter, given that this is your OWL year..." Snape sneered, curling his lip.

Harry, who was jotting down notes on the margins of his textbook, raised his head to look at his Professor; the words 'cunning delight' were an understatement for the kind of expression Snape on his face.

"I was reading from the book, Sir" he said evenly.

'I'm afraid you won't find what I'm saying in any book, Potter --"

"But if I'm making the same potion..." Harry jumped in, and Snape raised his voice, "_and_ since, as I've already told you, this potion is likely to fall in your OWLS you should be paying more attention. And it will five points from Gryffindor, for interrupting me, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded grudgingly, and Hermione who was sitting next to him, gave him a sympathetic look.

It turned out that he _should_ have been listening to Snape, because, as Harry discovered later, he was supposed to add rose water instead of lemon balm, like the book said; he ended up adding both, assuming the rose water written on the board was to be added in accordance to the lemon balm, and when Hermione whispered-shouted 'Harry, no!' it'd been already too late: three drops of lemon balm was all it took for the liquid to shoot threw the air and fall down like a fountain, on himself, the desk, the floor and Hermione's hair.

The Slytherins burst out laughing, Malfoy pointing to the mess on the floor, and wiping fake tears of laughter from his face, and by Snape's malevolent expression, things weren't looking good for Harry at all.

He hastily tried to wipe some of the murky liquid off his notes and felt Snape looming over his head.

"Well, well, well... _had_ you paying attention Potter, you'd have known that rose water and lemon balm do not mix very well, and that we were making a different version of the potion than the one in the book. But it seems you are above paying attention in class like the rest of students, always doing whatever you please, isn't it Potter? Detention, eight o'clock this evening, and 20 points for messing up my classroom."

He flicked his wand, removing the viscous liquid from the floor, but left the patches on Hermione's hair and on their desk.

Lavender passed Hermione a handkerchief, since she had already soiled her own cleaning her book, and the whole Gryffindor side seemed to be glowering at Snape. The Slytherins were of course delighted, and Harry caught Malfoy wiggling his eyebrows in a 'serves you right' fashion, before turning back to his cauldron.

_Potions haven't started at all well_, Harry thought, _well, there's a surprise... _he joked inwardly, and mouthed 'sorry' at Hermione, who nodded and went back to wiping her hair.

----

Evening came all too quickly for Harry's liking; he left the Gryffindor common room, and slowly made his way back to the dungeons. At least he wouldn't be seeing Hermione's gloomy face anymore (she had been rather testy with him all day, because it _had _been his fault for not paying attention during the lesson), and he could finally get away from Neville's compassionate looks, (Neville had blown up dozens of cauldrons in Snape's class before, so he could easily empathise with Harry).

Snape was already in the classroom, but didn't spare him much attention; He was gathering bottles from the potions cabinet and he simply gestured to a stack of rusty old cauldrons laid on a desk, and a wire-brush next to them.

Harry groaned mentally; scrubbing cauldrons... he should have guessed.

Snape took what he needed from the cabinet and locked it.

"No magic Potter, I'll _know_" he said and left the room, his robes billowing after him in their usual fashion.

_Like a cartoon character _Harry thought, but couldn't bring himself to laugh. By the looks of those cauldrons, a long night of bloody fingernails was ahead of him.

----

Harry was on cauldron #2 when Draco entered the classroom, sneering at the sight. Harry was seating on the floor cross-legged, his sleeves rolled back, scrubbing furiously at the cauldron on his lap.

"Make sure to make them all clean and shiny, Potty."

Harry raised his head wearily "What do you want Malfoy?" The last thing he needed was Malfoy's annoying presence, and then he'd never be able to finish cleaning the damn things!

"_I_ am a Prefect Potter, and _I_ happen to be doing the rounds..." he glanced over to the desk and crooned in a mocking voice:

"My, my, you have to clear up all _those_? Well, scrub, scrub Potter, the night is still young..."

"Piss off, Malfoy" Harry said tiredly. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and pinned Draco with a gaze; "Honestly, don't you have anything else better to do?"

Draco crossed his arms. "Few things beat annoying you Potter."

"Oh, I'm so glad to be such an important part of your life Draco" Harry said sarcastically.

"I _meant_ --"

"I know what you meant, you pillock" Harry cut him off, though the look of mortification on Draco's face was priceless.

They glared challengingly at each other for a few seconds.

"Five points from Gryffindor." Draco finally said.

"For what?!" Harry cried, throwing his arms in air.

"For being an infuriating prat, of course..." Draco deadpanned, and Harry had half a mind to hex him on the spot, but he figured Snape wouldn't be too happy to find his favourite student lying on the floor come daylight. Unless he hid the body that was...

"You know Ron's going to take them off some Slytherin tomorrow, don't you?"

"Not if I can help it" Draco grinned evilly, and then;

"It's going to be an interesting year, don't you think so scar-head?"

Harry could hear his retiring cackling for a long while after he'd gone, the dungeon walls echoing the sound. It was rather creepy, Harry found.  
.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 3

**Title:** With Or Without You  
**Author:** mtranc3  
**Rating:** R (overall)  
**Pairing:** Harry/Draco  
**Category:** Romance, Angst  
**Summary:** A re-telling of Harry's fifth year, with an H/D twist. This chapter: Boys will be boys (especially during a DADA practical session).  
**Warnings:** Unbeta'd  
**Author's Notes:** I don't know where this is going exactly, but it demanded to be written down, and I complied!  
**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, no profit is being made. The title of the comes from a song by U2, and the title of this chapters is from a song by In Flames.

**.  
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**Chapter 3:** Cloud Connected  
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Ron, Hermione and Harry were the first to arrive outside Professor Lupin's class. It was their second DADA lesson and they couldn't wait to see what Lupin had in store of them this time. The last lesson had involved a fascinating discussion about Vampires, and since some of the students had heard of Vampires only in fables before, the topic had been a great source of enthralment.

The shabby-looking professor was sitting on his desk, shuffling some parchments and stacking them on top of a heap of books.

He raised his head and smiled warmly at them. "Good morning, Hermione, Ron, Harry."

They beamed at him, though Harry couldn't help noticing with a pang in his stomach, that their professor looked shabbier than usual. Remus Lupin, who transformed to a werewolf every full moon, was looking his worst in the days preceding and succeeding that time of the month.

"Help move me move these desks out of the way, would you? We won't be needing them for today's lesson."

Harry and Ron gave each other quizzical looks and started moving desks, while Hermione tackled the chairs. The rest of the students had begun filling the class, and rushed in to help as well.

When the desks were out of the way, Lupin sat down on a chair, and cleared his throat:

"In our last lesson we talked about Vampires, can anyone tell me what are their discriminating features?"

Many hands shot up in the air, Hermione's being the most prominent one. The students answered questions for five minutes, and Lupin was looking pleased that they had read up on the subject.

"Quite right, Miss Greengrass" he said with a smile to a Slytherin girl, and then got up and walked to the centre of the room. The students that were leaning against desks at the bask of the class, came closer, and a small semi-circle was formed around the professor.

"Magical beings as intelligent as Vampires, apart from their mode of attacking, have the added advantage of extremely sharp reflexes, great speed, and agility in their moves. Gilderoy Lockhart writes in his book "Voyages with a Vampire" that a Vampire may move back and forth so quickly, that the human eye sees him in two places at once. Now I don't know how much we can trust Lockhart's account..." Lupin said with a ghost of a smile on his lips, "but it's an unquestionable fact that they are indeed much faster that humans..."

He paused for a few seconds, for the message to resonate in the class. "Therefore, if a wizard ever finds themselves in the unfortuname position of encountering a Vampire, no matter how many spells they know, they might find themselves in disadvantage. Remember, it is not only how well you perform a spell, but how _quickly_ you can perform it, because in a battle you won't have the luxury of time."

Harry looked down on his hand; he had already taken out his wand, certain that they were going to have a practical lesson. He suddenly felt grateful to Dumbledore for managing to bring Lupin back; the practical aspect of DADA was what they needed the most with war looming above their heads.

"Today will be doing exactly that:" Lupin continued "honing our reflexes. You will be splitting into pairs and have a practice duel with each other, but pay attention;" he called to those that had already started chatting excitedly at the prospect of a practical lesson, "the objective is not to incapacitate your partner, but to practice casting spells fast, and avoid your opponent's as best as you can. Therefore, I don't want to see any immobilizing, alright?"

Everyone nodded enthusiastically and Lupin begun sorting them into pairs. He wanted to even out the duets as much as possible, because a pair unmatched in ability would benefit neither student.

To his surprise Harry found himself paired up with Draco Malfoy. Ron, who was matched with Seamus Finnegan, patted him on the back.

He walked towards Malfoy, who got up from the desk he was perched on and took off his robe. The other pairs were also taking duelling stances.

"Ready Mal --"

"_Reducto_!"

The curse hit Harry squarely on the chest, sending him flying at the other side of the class. He bumped his arm against the leg of a chair, but didn't dwell on it; Malfoy, as always, had decided to play dirty, and Harry wouldn't let him have his way. He was back on his feet in a flash, pointing his wand at Draco, yelling 'Impedimenta!'

Malfoy's eyes were wide from shock at Harry's quick comeback even as he crushed on the wall behind him. Harry grinned, he could make out with the corner of his eye, Hermione casting a shielding charm, against the spell Zabini sent on her.

Malfoy wasn't moving however, he was a heap on the floor, and Harry approached him cautiously. He underestimated Draco's aptness for theatrics though, and when Harry was standing almost above him, Draco extended his wand upwards, and bellowed:

"_Leviosa Maxima_!"

Harry shot through the air, the sudden change in pressure constricted his lungs. He was getting near the ceiling and realised panicking that crushing down would not be pleasant for his bones.

But Draco kept him in the air, flicking his wand in continuous small motions, like the ones maestros make when they are conducting an orchestra, twisting Harry around, despite his efforts to remain unmoving, as though he were a puppet. Most of the pairs had stopped duelling and with mouths agape, watched Harry dangling in the air. The smile on Malfoy's face was cruel and loathful "Didn't know you could dance, Potter!"

"Malfoy, bring him down at once!" Lupin demanded, but Harry raised his wand and mirroring the smile on Draco's face he yelled '_Relashio_!', and as he begun falling down: '_Stupefy_!'. Even at an odd angle, the hex was really strong, and Draco, who couldn't believe that Harry would choose to fall down than lose, didn't have time to defend himself. It hit him on the head, and he went completely rigid, falling down down with a 'thag', which was followed by a bigger noise, as Harry crashed on the surface of a desk.

Remus rushed over, followed by Hermione and Ron, Malfoy all but forgotten on the floor.

Harry's eyes were shut and he was cradling his left arm, obviously in great pain.

"Harry? Are you alright?" Lupin asked, touching his arm lightly. Harry groaned and tried to move to a sitting position.

"I... my arm..." he moaned. Remus felt up his arm bone, and breathed a sigh of relief "It doesn't seem to be broken, hold on..." He pointed his wand and whispered "_Resarcio_."

Harry's jaw, which was clenched tightly up till then, relaxed, and he looked up at his Professor gratefully.

Lupin smiled, "That should help keep the pain away until Madame Pomfrey can have a look at it. Now what did I say about disabling your opponent?" Ron laughed, and Harry scratched his neck sheepishly, though inwardly, he was disappointed not casting a _stronger_ spell on Malfoy.

Lupin rennervated Draco, and Crabbe and Goyle helped get him on his feet. Once standing, he batted their hands away, and rubbed his forehead looking around the class.

When he spotted Harry, (Ron and Hermione had inched closer, half-expecting another attack from Draco), he only shook his head and said grudgingly:

"I didn't know you had it in you Potter."

"What?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Spitefulness, of course."

The words caught Harry by surprise; that Malfoy of all people would belittle him with something he'd, been guilty of for years.

"It was _you_ who wanted to plaster me on the ceiling!" he spat, but Draco only snickered:

"All's fair in war and --"

"Alright, that's enough!" Lupin warned, walking between them. "We have a few minutes left, so I suggest that we move those desks back to their places. Good job, everyone, though I'll be expecting you to handle your tempers better from now on" he said throwing a quick glance at Harry and then Draco.

Draco sneered and went to pick up his robe, not bothering to help like the rest of the students. Pansy Parkinson raised her eyebrows as if to ask whether he was alright, and Draco glanced back at the trio, a deep frown set between his eyebrows. It looked as though he had taken certain Gryffindors for granted.  
.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 4

**Title:** With Or Without You  
**Author:** mtranc3  
**Rating:** R (overall)  
**Pairing:** Harry/Draco  
**Category:** Romance, Angst  
**Summary:** A re-telling of Harry's fifth year, with an H/D twist. This chapter: Draco obsesses over a song, and Harry gets a concussion as a result.  
**Warnings:** Unbeta'd  
**Author's Notes:** I don't know where this is going exactly, but it demanded to be written down, and I complied! If this chapter rings a bell, it's because I had posted part of it as a one-shot a while ago. It was basically the chapter that inspired the story.  
**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, no profit is being made. The title of the comes from a song by U2.

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**Chapter 4:** Sotto Voce  
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.

"'Scuss us, Hermione."

Hermione huffed in annoyance, but moved further down on the bench to make room for the twins.

"Hey Harry," Fred said, settling down "Quidditch try-outs have been moved to the next week. I swear Hooch is doing it on purpose to punish us for letting that practice Blugder free last summer"

Ron, who was sitting next to Harry, paled at the mention of Quidditch. Harry gave him a questioning gaze, but Ron had tuned back to his steak -and-kidney pie, and started stuffing himself like his very life depended upon it.

George made a gesture as if to say 'our brother's gone barmy' and Harry grinned.

"So what day is it then?"

"Next Wednesday, so make sure you don't earn yourself a detention that day mate."

Harry made a noise of mock indignation, and even Hermione (who fastidiously ignored any conversation involving Quidditch), looked up and laughed.

Lavender chose that moment to squeeze between Fred and Hermione, earning glares from both of them, and with the expression she always wore when she had a particularly juicy bit of gossip, she said in an undertone:

"What are you doing talking about _Quidditch_, when everyone is talking about Draco Malfoy!"

"I'm sure not _everyone _is talking about Draco Malfoy..." Hermione muttered disdainfully.

"What about him?" Fred asked, and they all turned their heads to the direction of the Slytherin table. Malfoy looked normal enough, though his lips were moving slightly, as if he was mumbling something under his breath.

Ron squinted his eyes and said brusquely:

"Finally gone round the twist, hasn't he?"

Lavender giggled, and picked up a goblet with pumpkin juice, whirling it around as she spoke; "Oh that's nothing! Padma told Parvati that McGonagall called him twice during Transfiguration this morning, for tapping his foot, and he said that he was doing it compulsively! Of course she thought he was doing it on purpose ("'course he was" Ron said in a knowing voice) and gave him detention for 'inappropriate behaviour in the classroom and for disturbing the lesson'... oh, isn't it funny?"

"Hilarious" Hermione replied, sarcastically. Lavender scowled at her; she didn't much like it when her gossip wasn't appreciated. Ron on the other hand, looked delightful.

"Snape shouldn't be the one handing dentitions, besides, I always knew the ferret would go thick in the head one day, right Harry?"

Harry shrugged and resumed his Quidditch conversation with the twins. If Malfoy had insanity coming to him, then he probably deserved every bit of it.

----

Pansy yawned and closed her book. Herbology would have to wait for another time, because she could hardly keep her eyes open, let alone memorize the '100+1 uses for Neem leaves'.

She searched for Millicent to say goodnight, when she spotted Draco by the fireplace, banging his head _against_ it.

Crabbe and Goyle were standing beside him, looking utterly bemused, though that could only be Pansy's idea, because it wasn't much different from how the duo usually looked.

She went quickly over, reaching for Draco's shoulder. The mere fact that he didn't push her off - Draco not being the touchy type- was plenty of indication that he wasn't feeling like himself.

"Draco? What's the matter?"

Draco rubbed his forehead and sat heavily on a nearby armchair.

"I've got this stupid tune stuck in my head all day long and I can't get rid of it... and I've got that detention with the Iron Maiden in a while" he explained with a sigh. Crabbe and Goyle planted themselves on either side of the chair, nodding their heads sympathetically.

"Where did you first hear it?"

"What? Oh, in the Ministry's floo network waiting room, the weekend before school started. Father and I had important business there; Father has excellent relations with the Minister, you know, and --"

"Yes, yes, Draco, you are talking to me, remember?"

Draco's reminiscent mood was shuttered, and he pinned Pansy with one of his patented glares.

"They had string music coming from the _Sonorus_ spell on the walls. I know I've heard it somewhere before, and it drives me barmy that I can't remember where..."

"I didn't know you liked music Malfoy..." Crabbe said.

"It simply annoys me that I can't remember where I heard it before" Draco said with a warning look "And Malfoys have an excellent taste in music, as in all the arts, Crabbe; we invite the Quixotic Quartet in the Manor every Christmas..."

"Oh I remember!" Pansy giggled. "Wasn't Vincent who collided with the flying harp and had lines on his face all evening, because Mrs. Irma refused to magic them away?"

Goyle made an angry grimace, and Pansy threw him an apologetic, albeit dazzling smile. Goyle's grimace fell and he seemed as though he suddenly found his hands very interesting

Draco snickered at the memory, but when the laughter subsided, his brow furrowed once again. He left the chair and begun pacing up and down.

Pansy's head went back and fro as she watched him stomp on the lush green carpet.

"And the worst thing is that this tune was sad...well maybe not sad," he corrected quickly, not wanting to appear sentimental "but mellow, and maybe it's me that it makes sad. Oh, for Merlin's sake, I want to get rid of it!"

Pansy was about to offer words of consolation by the look on her face, when she smacked her forehead;

"There is something for that, something very simple: get a new tune in your head! Ooh, I love "Polish my broomstick" the new song by The Twisted Sisters..."

"You would, wouldn't you? Draco said with a snigger. Pansy made a wry face at his general direction and started tapping her foot.

----

Draco was on his way back to the Slytherin common room, from his detention detention with McGonagall, and was humming the song Pansy had successfully managed to inflict on him, flicking his fingers in time with the rhythm. It was a silly song, but the refrain was quite catchy, and so far it was doing the trick; the blasted violin music had stopped invading his brain.

He climbed down a staircase, resisting the urge to skip walk. But in a moment of musical delirium, Draco closed his eyes for a second and missed the student coming up from the opposite direction.

----

Harry Potter had seen many strange things in his life - from talking snakes, to the Dark Lord parasiting the back of Quirrell's head - but there was something about Draco Malfoy _boogying_ that surpassed all of them put together. He grasped the wall and doubled up in giggling fits.

The sound seemed to shake Draco off his musical trance, and he realized in panic that he had been spotted _shaking_ it in the middle of the hallway, by the last person he wanted to meet.

"You are DEAD scar-head!" Draco cried and leaped forward.

Harry was benumbed; One moment he was clutching his belly, laughing his heart out; the next his head had cracked against the wall, making his vision blurry.

"Oh hell... I didn't kill you Potter, did I?"

Harry's eyesight regained its focus, and he could make out Malfoy hovering beside him.

"I feel like throwing up..."

Draco took a couple of steps back, but Harry looked as if he was about to collapse. He considered making a run for it and let Potter die alone in the corridor, like the miserable git deserved, but what if a teacher found him, and Potter blamed it all on him? And he _was_ a Prefect...

"I think you need to go to the hospital wing, or something Potter..."

Harry scrunched up his face and dry-heaved.

Draco considered the situation for a moment, before making up his mind.

"Okay, lets just hope that everyone is in their dormitories by now, because I'd rather face a Hippogriff than be caught helping you..."

It looked to Draco that Potter might have glared at him between the dry-heaving, but it was difficult to tell. He took Harry's left arm carefully, as if he was covered in germs, and propelled him up.

"There's a good lad, Potty, now come on, I don't have all bloody night!"

"Going... to do... more dancing?" Harry said wincing; even laughing hurt, and the queasy feeling in his stomach hadn't subsided one bit.

"I should have left you die like a dog, Potter."

But instead of letting go, Draco clutched him tighter and hastened their pace. Potter was doing this thing with his eyes again, as though there was something in them and he was trying to blink it out, and it looked slightly scary.

----

"What happened _this_ time?"

Madame Pomfrey helped drag Harry to a bed and run her wand over him.

"I'm waiting, Mr. Malfoy!"

"Oh, er, he is... Potter's head collided with a wall, and I was the only one nearby..."

Madame Pomfrey raised an eyebrow at him, and resumed her examination.

"Yes, and then he started acting funny..."

"Did he fall unconscious at first?"

"I don't know, but he was a bit unsteady..."

"I want to throw up" Harry pipped in, and the matron pursed her lips.

"It's a mild concussion, I need a blood-diluting potion" she said to herself, and then:

"Where do you think you are going Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco was caught mid-stride, near the exit of the infirmary.

"Stay with Potter, I need to fetch a potion, and then we'll have a little talk."

Draco winced imperceptibly, but obliged her and went over to Harry's bed.

When she was gone Draco chanced a glance at Harry; His eyes were tightly closed, and he was twisting the sheets in his fists.

_Serves him right _Draco thought _for sneaking up on me like that_. He promptly shut down the little voice which reminded what he, himself, was doing when Potter met him. He hoped that the concussion would somehow rob Potter of the memory.

"If you still want to vomit I should fetch a bucket, I don't think I'd like to witness the sight" he said in a sneer.

Harry opened his eyes a little, and just like that the violin melody hit Draco again, and he felt like he was really close to remembering where he'd heard it before. He tried focusing on it, before it could slip out of his mental grasp.

_A shop... and Potter had something to with it as well..._

"It was in Madame Malkin's! I knew I've head it before!"

"What?" Harry asked, clarity slowly returned to his look.

"The song, it drove me batty all day! In the robe shop before our first year, you were there, and there was a song with violins on the Wireless Network, that Madame Malkin was listening to. That's were I heard it first..."

The discovery unlocked the tune from Draco's head, and he breathed out a smile of relief.

Harry had never actually seen Malfoy smile before, not like that at least. Serenity looked alien on his features.

"What are you staring at Potter?" Draco returned to his customary scowl, and Harry was about to snap back, when he clutched his stomach and turned to the edge of the bed, vomiting over the sheets, the floor, and Draco's shoes.

Harry wiped his mouth and eased back on the pillow, wiggling away from the drenched spot on the bed.

Draco was frozen still, a silent cry on his mouth.

"Potter... these were very expensive shoes..." he said slowly, "and you just _besmirched_ them..."

"You gave me a concussion, so I'd say we were pretty even Malfoy."

Draco clenched his fists "...imported from Italy on a special order... Mother will have a fit!"

"Oh come off it!" Harry said, rubbing his forehead. The conversation was not conducive to the elephants that were trampling inside his head.

"I'm sure it will be alright with some water and soap..."

"_Water and soap_??!" Draco looked as if Harry had said something outrageous. "You are a pleb Potter, and this is suede... I should have left you for dead!"

Harry glared and Draco glared back. No one wanted to budge, so when Madame Pomfrey came back, holding an unpleasant-looking bottle in her hands, she found two boys on their hunches, owl-eyed and ready to leap.

She quickly shooed Draco out of the room, telling him that she'd be informing both the Heads of Gryffindor and Slytherin, and she begun measuring the yellow liquid in a small cup.

Draco stormed out of the infirmary, furious for saving St. Potter and still getting told off for it, and promised himself never to repeat that mistake.

By the time he had reached the dungeons he was feeling calmer though, that gentle melody coming back to his head, welcomed now that he knew it origins, and unbeknownst to him, the same melody had crept in another boy's head, although Harry had the concussion to blame for remembering it.  
.

**TBC**

**A/N 1:** This is a bit longer to I'm used to writing, let me know what you think.  
**A/N 2:** The music Draco is referring to is actually the last couple of minutes from a song called 'Flames' by Vast (the whole song is very nice, if not a tad melancholic).


	6. Chapter 5

**Title:** With Or Without You  
**Author:** mtranc3  
**Rating:** R (overall)  
**Pairing:** Harry/Draco  
**Category:** Romance, Angst  
**Summary:** A re-telling of Harry's fifth year, with an H/D twist. This chapter: Ron gives the Qquidditch try-out sessions a go.  
**Warnings:** Unbeta'd  
**Author's Notes:** I don't know where this is going exactly, but it demanded to be written down, and I complied! If this chapter rings a bell, it's because I had posted part of it as a one-shot a while ago. It was basically the chapter that inspired the story.  
**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, no profit is being made. The title of the comes from a song by U2.

.  
.

**Chapter 5:** Trial and error

.  
.

"Come on Ron, we're running late. See you later Hermione!" Harry called, and Hermione gave him a small wave, not taking her eyes from the book she was reading, a heavy tome titled: _Advanced Arithmancy For The Brave._

Ron followed Harry through the portrait hole, and when they were our of the earshot, he grabbed Harry by the elbow, pulling both of them aside;

"Harry, can I ask for a favour mate?"

"Sure Ron, what's the matter?"

"Can I borrow the Firebolt" he pointed to Harry's other hand, which was clutching his prized broomstick "for the Quidditch try-outs? I think I'm going to give the Keeper's spot a chance..."

"Is that why you've been acting strange all week? Of course you can have it. But you could have told me you know..." Harry said thrusting the broom in Ron's hands.

Ron's anxious face lit up "I didn't want anyone to know, because if it reached the twins they wouldn't stop taking the mickey... Thanks mate."

Harry patted him on the back and they resumed walking. "You'll do fine, don't worry."

----

"I can't believe we let him try" Fred said with a sigh as he watched Ron getting ready for his session. Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell were already up in the air, practice Quaffles in hand.

"Rules are rules..." Harry pipped in grinning. He knew the twins would hate to have another sibling in the team now that Ginny had secured the replacement Seeker position with her stellar performance earlier. Things didn't look so good for Ron however; Harry had never seen him looking so peaky before (except maybe in their second year, when he'd been belching slugs for a whole day).

"Come on Ron!" he urged his best friend on. Ron gave him the thumbs-up, and flew to the Keeper's stand, in front of the three tall loops. He wasn't used to riding the Firebolt though, and he was gripping the stick tightly with both hands.

"He's never going to stop a Quaffle like that!" George said. "Oh well..." Fred finished for him briskly, and blew at his whistle.

Angelina flew towards Ron in a flash and hurled the Quaffle towards the middle loop. Ron all but ducked to avoid contact, marking his first catch a failure.

"You are supposed to catch it Weasley!" Someone bellowed form the stands; Draco Malfoy had somehow entered the Quidditch pitch unnoticed, and was sitting atop the Slytherin stands.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Fred asked his brother and then yelled:

"Oi! Get out of here! This a try-out session!"

"There's no rule against me being here" Malfoy yelled back in a mocking tone.

"Right" Harry said determined, and marched through the lawn towards the stands.

Malfoy's grin fell a little when he noticed Harry had taken out his wand. He climbed the stands two by two and when he reached him, Draco was holding out his wand as well.

"Want an encore of the DADA lesson Potter?"

"I should be asking you that Malfoy, now get the hell away before --"

"Before what?" Draco cut in "Are you threatening a _Prefect_ Potter?" he asked curling his lip.

"Will you get over yourself! Or do you want the whole Gryffindor team in _your_ try-outs?"

Draco had nothing to answer to that, so he lowered his wand just a fraction.

"There's no problem if I stay and watch is there?" he asked in a sarcastic, overly polite voice.

"Yes there will be! You'll make Ron nervous!"

Draco feigned surprise; "But he's doing marvellously so far!"

Harry looked up at the Keeper's stand. He couldn't make out Ron's face, but he knew anxiety would be etched all over it.

He turned back to Malfoy, he's eyes sparkling threateningly:

"Ron is my friend, and I want him to do well, so I won't let you ruin this for him! You can stay since I can't do anything about that, but if you say one more word while he's up there I _will_ do something about it!"

Draco had crossed his arms looking sour. "Fine, but watch your tone Potter I _am_ --"

"A Prefect... " Harry said tuning around "and you can shove your badge where the sun doesn't shine."

"Five points from Gryffindor" Draco snapped at his retreating back.

"They were worth it..." Harry mumbled to himself with a grin. He waved at Fred and George to resume the session and then gave Ron the thumbs up.

Draco sat down and watched him go.

_So that's what it means to be Harry Potter's friend _he thought grudgingly, though not without some regret. Friendships were like sand-castles in Slytherin, easy to make, and even easier to destroy. People kept them only as long as they remained fun, or useful. He wondered how it would feel having someone fend for you like that, not out of misplaced loyalty as in Crabbe ad Goyle's case, but because they really cared for you.

He heard cheering from below; Ron had apparently blocked his first Quaffle and Harry gave out a jeering whistle. From the distance he looked like a normal boy when he was anything but.

And Draco hated him; hated the way he could exude so much power when in those ridiculous glasses and clothes of his. Hated it that Potter could switch off like that and still enjoy a moment. Hated that he came from such an insignificant background and yet be so talented. Draco hated it that and wanted desperately to beat him at something, to prove his superiority (he was briefly gratified when he received his Prefect's badge, until he found out that ginger-head had been also made Prefect, and where was the honour of being in the same league with the likes of a _Weasley_?), but he also wanted to figure him out. To prove Potter is not special, a goody-two shoes git like all Gryffindors, but Potter had taken him by surprise time and time again;. He could be dense but not naive as people made him out to be, and for having an egocentric reputation (that is, if you considered the _Daily Prophet_ as a reliable source on Potter's inner psyche), he was fiercely loyal to his friends. Draco would never forget the way Harry was clutching Diggory's body when he returned from the fourth task... _Potter_. Everything was always about bloody Potter.

----

Harry punched his fist in the air, at another successful catch on Ron's part, and grinned at the twins who looked impressed with their younger brother, and were scratching their heads in wonder.

It looked like another Weasley was about to become part of the Gryffindor team, he was the best by far from the other qualifiers (Seamus Finnigan, and surprisingly enough, Colin Creevey, who should had better stick to photography).

Harry looked back to the Slytherin stands, looking for any sign of Draco Malfoy, but it seemed that he had left, unnoticed like he had come. Harry frowned for a second. He honestly didn't understand Malfoy sometimes. Not that he ever tried to fathom Slytherins.

Ron swooped down on them, circling Fred and George playfully, before climbing down. He patted the Firebolt lovingly before handing it back to Harry.

"Thanks mate, how I did I do?" he asked anxiously.

George and Fred pretended to be unimpressed, before seizing Ron in a group hug and messing up his hair.

"You've been secretly practising Ronniekins, haven't you?"

"Oi! Gerrof!" Ron said in a muffled voice.

"No, I don't think so, you see this is the customary welcome to the Quidditch team" Fred said, and Ron's eyes opened widely. The let him go and he looked at them hopefully,

"You're not taking the piss, are you, because if you are --"

"Nope!" George said. "It turns out the rest of the people trying out were so awful, that we are unfortunately stuck with you!"

"Oi!" Ron warned but a grin was spreading to his face. Harry grinned back and patted him on the back.

"Congratulations, welcome to the team!" he said and Ron beamed at him.

"You know, Harry" Ron said after a moment when he tried to pretend that his eyes hadn't welled up. "I think the ferret brought me luck..."

They all broke out in giggles, Ron being the loudest of them all.

**TBC **


	7. Chapter 6

**Title:** With Or Without You  
**Author:** mtranc3  
**Rating: **R (overall)  
**Pairing:** Harry/Draco  
**Category:** Romance, Angst  
**Summary:** A re-telling of Harry's fifth year, with an H/D twist. This chapter: In which there are mistaken identities, vampires, one of which is a fake, hormonal Veelas, silly costumes, and Take That.  
**Warnings:** Unbeta'd  
**Author's Notes:** I don't know where this is going exactly, but it demanded to be written down, and I complied! If this chapter rings a bell, it's because I had posted part of it as a one-shot a while ago. It was basically the chapter that inspired the story.  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, no profit is being made. The title of the comes from a song by U2.

-

-  
**Chapter 6**: How I stopped worrying about Vampires and Veelas

-

"...and what have you done to my _voice_?! Hermione, if you won't take that off me right now, I swear I'll tell Ron you fancy him!"

Hermione looked distinctively like pray caught by a hunter. Harry was almost sorry for her, but not really.

"Harry, you know I don't..." she begun, but Harry stopped her to save her the embarrassment.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Hermione, just take it off. _Please_."

"I couldn't even if I wanted to..." "Okay," she amended when he glowered at her "I could, but it would take a while, and it's going to fade in a couple of hours, so it doesn't really matter. And Harry, you didn't have a costume anyway."

"Because I didn't plan on wearing one!"

Hermione then assumed her Prefect persona, the one which unconsciously channeled McGonagall and wouldn't take no for an answer:

"Professor Dumbledore said that everyone is to wear a costume, and you Harry James Potter as a student, are not above that!"

Harry scowled and she continued with the same vigour, although her face had softened somewhat.

"Now hold on, let me fix the ribbons on your braids."

--

Professor Severus Snape was gazing at his reflection in the mirror dejectedly. He had even considered light stomach poisoning, but Dumbledore would know. How had he tried to reason with the Headmaster that his presence would not really be necessary for that ridiculous party, but Dumbledore insisted that all Hogwarts staff should attend, appropriately dressed, and enjoy themselves. His thoughts trailed for a moment on the events of the past summer, but didn't linger; right now he had more important things to worry about, and that was who'd believe it? His Halloween costume. He had suggested going as a Potions Master, but Dumbledore had snorted - a most unbecoming gesture of him - and said with the ever-present twinkle in his eyes, that professors were to be unrecognizable so that the students would feel at ease, and behave more liberally.

_Getting ridiculously drunk, and exert their overacting hormones on eachother more likely _thought Severus, but as aways the Headmaster would not be swayed, and thus he was standing in front of the mirror adjusting the final touch to his costume. He gave his over grown canine teeth one more look, and with a solemn shake of his head, he left his chambers for the Great Hall.

--

Harry and Hermione met with Ron at the bottom of the staircase. Students were passing them by hurriedly; apparently the Hogwarts Halloween ball had already begun.

"Why Harry, don't you look dashing!" said Ron winking. Harry gave him a scornful look

"Shut it, Ron." But then, taking a better look, he decided that his best friend needed some mocking of his own.

"And what are you supposed to be? A cave man?"

Ron's grin fell in a little.

"Hermione thought we'd go dressed as a couple..." he said looking everywhere else but them.

"Oh, she did?"

Harry raised one eyebrow and Hermione looked the other way pretending to adjust her leather dress.

"Yeah... you see it's Tarzan and Jane... it's a Muggle-"

"I know who they are" Harry rolled his eyes. "Let's get it over with" he said and begun marching down the corridor, promptly tripping on his clogs.

Ron and Hermione rushed to help him up, and propelled him until they reached the doors of the Great Hall. Ron had an angelic look on his face but Harry knew the prat was trying very hard not to laugh.

--

Meanwhile in the dungeons, another person was putting the final touches on their costume for the party. Draco had initially wanted to go as a Dementor, but in the wake of Voldemort's return dark imagery wasn't met very well. He tried to think of something ominous, yet suitable for a fancy dress ball, but he kept coming up with variations of You-Know-Who in drag.

Finally he settled down for a Muggle music fan. It was ingenious, no one would believe that he, a Malfoy, would dress up as a Muggle of all things, and more importantly, he'd get to try out clothes that he always secretly thought were kind of cool. His new t-shirt definitely was. Black with silver lettering across the middle.

He had ordered it from a catalogue Theodeore Nott gave him, who had recently developed a fascination for loud, obnoxious Muggle music. There were so many of them, with logos that didn't move, but interestingly enough, had quite a variety of band names. 'Iron Maiden' had a cool looking logo, but he decided it sounded too poncy, so he had tried to find something cooler. 'Take that' he found was brilliant.

He put on the ridiculous denim trousers, the t-shirt, but the best thing of all was the one he saved for last; a long leather jacket he saw on that catalogue and decide on a whim to order it too. It made him look like some kind of a delinquent which was brilliant in Draco's mind. He magicked his hair and eyes brown the way Flitwick had showed them earlier today, and gave himself the one thing he wished he had, but probably never would; stubble.

He looked in the mirror once more, and smirked.

_Yes. Definitely cool_. His image raised an eyebrow but Draco only grinned, and took off.

--

"...but these are the Twisted Sisters..."

"Yes Harry, don't you ever read the news? They broke up, and reunited again after a couple of months under a new name."

"And 'The Pixies' sounds so much better. As if naming the Halloween ball 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' wasn't distasteful enough" Harry muttered to himself, and swallowed a gulp from his punch.

Ron joined them holding a small goblet. At Harry's questioning look he said with a wink

"Seamus is spiking the punch later, not a spell too, he managed to get real Firewhisky..."

Harry rolled his eyes, but grinned nonetheless.

Across the hall Snape looked at the trio, surely conspiring about something, and sneered. Potter's costume was definitely the Granger girl's doing, quite a successful glamour charm probably paired with a gender hex. What he couldn't understand was how Granger had talked him into it. Whatever the reason, he felt like awarding Gryffindor 5 points just for the sheer amusement the sight caused him.

--

Draco arrived at the Hall fashionably late, most of the students had already gathered. Slytherins decided this year not to attend as a group like they always did, but whenever each of them preferred. House unity, and all that nonsense.

He pulled his coat's collar straight and walked with confidence to the drinks table. Some girls were already giving him looks, the costume was working.

--

"So Harry, is everything still there? I mean..." Ron lowered his voice and flicked his head downwards.

Harry sighed; "Only the chest, well obviously, is..." he made a gesture.

"Yeah, hard to miss, that..."

"Ron! Bloody hell mate!"

Ron snickered. "Seriously though, you make such a delicate girl"

"It's really getting old, Ron." Harry considered taking off one of the clogs and whack his best friend on the head.

"Trust me mate, it will never get old. Besides, Colin got a picture."

"Colin?" Harry looked around him.

"The leprechaun with the cauldron" Ron pointed.

Harry turned, surely enough a leprechaun sitting by the stage waved enthusiastically at them. Harry ignored him.

"Does everybody know?"

"The Gryffindors I guess, but cheer up, most people think you look kind of cute."

"That's... nice. I think I'm going for another drink. Remind me to hex Hermione next time I see her. Something nasty too."

Ron grinned and nodded. Harry would never live this down.

--

The sight of a blonde head shook Draco out of his thoughts. A very pretty girl was making her way to the table. Draco had no idea who she was, and wondered how come she never caugh his eye before. She was dressed in some kind of Muggle peasant suit. A Mudblood most probably. It didn't matter, she was the hottest thing in the room.

"Something tells me the punch will be a lot tastier a bit later on". The girl looked up and grinned,

"I know, that's why I'm drinking it now."

Her smile reminded him of something. She definitely wasn't from Slytherin, but maybe she was a Ravenclaw, they had most of their classes with them that year.

"So, what are you supposed to be?"

"I'm er... the little Dutch girl" said Harry blushing furiously. It sounded so stupid. "But I -"

"I'm a Muggle too, a _punk_" the other said emphasizing on the words.

"Right..."

Harry didn't know which would be more embarrassing: admitting who he actually was, along with the fact that he had gone to the ball dressed as a bloody girl - never mind that it wasn't his doing - or continue talking as if he was really a girl dressed in a Muggle costume. He cursed Hermione once more. He didn't know who the other boy was, probably a Ravenclaw and probably Muggleborn, but he didn't want to be the laughing stock of the other houses too, so he decided to keep quiet.

"Do you know them?" the boy suddenly asked pointing to his t-shirt.

Harry looked; he was wearing a t-shirt with a band logo, it was a popular Muggle pop band.

"Pretty hardcore, eh?" Draco said like he heard Nott exclaim many times. Harry snorted in his drink.

"Er, yeah..."

--

"So," Draco said "want to go out for a walk?" They were talking for a while now, but Draco was itching to get into action. It was a well-known fact how these parties ended, and the Astronomy Tower would have a very busy night indeed.

"Excuse me?" The guy was easy to talk to, and Harry had momentarily forgotten that he was dressed as a girl.

"It's so crowded in here, and the music couldn't really get any worse" he gestured to the Hall. Harry followed his hand and saw Ron waving at him from the other side. Terrified that the other would see and deduct who he really was, he grabbed the boy from his elbow and turned him around.

"Sure, yeah, let's go."

Draco was a stunned; this girl was really enthusiastic.

_O ho _he thought _this is going to be a good night._

They left the Hall with Ron frowning after them.

--

"Hermione where were you? Who was that with Harry?"

Hermione sat down on a chair. "Who do you mean?"

"The bloke who left with Harry" She looked around the Hall.

"Oh, I didn't see them, Ernie Macmillan passed out and I helped Justin get him to the infirmary"

"But the punch hasn't even been spiked yet!"

"I think it has something to do with the Slytherins. Crabbe and Goyle were trying to be subtle loitering around the table, and there's word of an empty bottle of Ogden's"

"Ogden's?" Ron's eyes bulged. "Slytherins are good for something after all."

--

"I wonder how come we've never met before"

"Er..."

_Not very eloquent, is she... _thought Draco, but her chest well made up for it, she had to be the most well-endowed girl in their year.

"It's alright, we are getting to know each other now..." he rose his eyebrows suggestively and Harry took a step backwards.

"Right. I'll just-"

"Come here, let me show you something" He rummaged in his pockets for a moment.

"There, I thought I'd left it back at the dorm" he raised his palm for the girl to see; a miniature Golden Snitch was hovering above his palm, greatly detailed and very much like the real thing itself, save for its size.

Harry's eyes widened in awe.

"And it's not like the ordinary ones they sell at toy stores, if you tap this with your wand it will go on and on until you catch it." Harry took the snitch in his hand, it started hovering at his palm as if it was buzzing to be freed.

Draco inwardly snickered, the Snitch worked every single time, all girls thought it adorable.

Harry wanted to ask him what he thought about Quidditch this year, but then it would reveal his House and by an unspoken agreement they hadn't discussed anything personal yet. So he simply said the Snitch was cool and handed it back.

"So," the boy said resting his hand in the wall behind Harry. "You never told me your name..."

_So much for keeping identities private _thought Harry.

"Listen, mate-"

Draco chuckled, this one was playing it hard to get, but no one dismissed a Malfoy. He squashed the word _'Potter' _flashing in his mind down. He suddenly felt irritated.

"No, you listen" he held her by the chin and yanked her face forward.

Harry yelped but it was lost as they boy's lips crushed onto his own, their teeth clicking painfully. Harry grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him hard.

"Get off, I said - _mnngghh_"

"What? What's the matter with you?"

"What's with me? What's the matter with you! He wiped his mouth savagely. "Kissing people without a warning!"

Draco was starting to get mildly annoyed. Playing hard to get was one thing, in fact it was kind of a turn on, but being a neurotic priss was entirely another.

"That's rich, and I suppose you came out here with me to talk about oh, i don't know, Quidditch?"

Harry then realized that girls didn't have it easy at all, not when pricks like this one existed in this world.

"It's not my fault if you've got the wrong idea, you wanker"

Definitely not a Ravenclaw then.

"No love, you got the wrong idea" he said and pushed the girl back against the wall thrusting his hips forward.

Harry stilled for a second before freaking out completely.

"Geroff geroff geroff!"

"You know, you really shouldn't play with boys like that... Especially not with a Malfoy" he made to move forward again.

"WHAT?! Oh, oh my God!" Harry grimaced clutching his belly. "It figures, you bloody-"

Draco ceased his groping momentarily, trying to figure out what the girl meant. Her saw her shoulders starting to shake, the little hag was laughing at him.

"You'll so regret this Malfoy, you have no idea... of all the stupid things you've done!"

'BANG!'

With a loud, booming noise the front doors were thrown open, and a small crowd made its way inside the school. Harry and Draco still intertwined, froze on the spot.

Death Eaters! panicked Harry and fumbled around for his wand.

"Damn it, I forgot my wand! We should -" but then the candle light in the opposite wall illuminated their faces. Harry stopped talking and squinted his eyes.

What the?

"Vampires!" whispered-yelled Draco taking a step backwards, "What?" said Harry again, feeling a bit dazed. But now he could clearly see their pallor and their extended fangs.

But if they are attacking why are they moving so slow? Draco shook him off,

"Come on!" he grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him towards the staircase leading to the dungeons.

--

"Stop, stop it!" Harry yanked his hand free.

"We have to go back and tell Dumbledore!"

"Do you think he doesn't know by now?" Draco sneered, although he didn't look as unconcerned as he'd like to seem.

"Don't you understand? We have to go and help the others!"

"And exactly how do you plan to do that? Neither of us has wands. At least down here we are safe." Draco's features had returned to normal by now as the glamour spell faded away, and he looked even paler in the shadows of the dungeons.

Harry shook his head, a stern expression on his face.

"Really Malfoy, you are the worst. And you're supposed to be a Prefect too..."

Draco was taken aback for a moment. How dare that slag talk to him with that condescending tone, but more importantly, that condescending tone reminding him of something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Listen here you airhead, those were vampires. There's nothing you could do, they'd drink your blood before you blinked your pretty little eyelashes. So if you want to go then fine, but don't blame me for not having a deathwish!" Harry looked down.

"Quite right you are, Master Malfoy"

Both heads turned to the direction of the voice, which was unmistakably Snape's, but all they saw was a vampire. Unconsciously they huddled closely together.

Snape rolled his eyes in exasperation,

"It's my costume" he grimaced at the word.

"Professor Snape?!"

"Yes Malfoy, you may return to the Great Hall, the vampires and the Veelas have been contained." Harry and Draco exchanged puzzled looks.

"Veelas sir?"

"Apparently it was a joined attack, although the Veelas were... out of sorts shall we say. However, a vampire was seen escaping down here, so all the students are to remain in the Great Hall for safety's sake. Do I need to repeat myself Malfoy?"

"Sanguineus!"

Before Snape could finish snapping at his students, a long figure approached them. Harry had never seen a real vampire up close before, save for Snape's attempt. He was white as marble, and his pupils had a red tint. Snape immediately stood before the boys, drawing out his wand.

"Sanguineus!" called the vampire again. He seemed agitated. "Thank Drakul, I've found you! They are attacking us, the whole clan is down - Sanguineus what are you doing?"

"Stop calling me Sanguineus you imbecile" said Snape, and then "Stupefy!"

The vampire fell down and Harry turned to his professor,

"Is he...?"

"Yes, Potter, and now if you will, alert the headmaster that the last vampire is down, the Ministry will have a handful tonight. Malfoy you go with him."

But Draco didn't respond, he was rooted to the spot, his eyes huge and glazy. He seemed like he was under some kind of shock.

"Malfoy I assure you this vampire is very well unconscious, now will you do as I said and assist Potter? he barked at his student who turned weakly and looked at the other with something akin to horror.

'I tried telling you, you prat' said Harry, but Malfoy was still transfixed, and with a slow motion he brought his hand to his lips. Harry took a step back and then turned and run down the corridor.

The school was full of vampires for Merlin's sake, he'd have to go the Headmaster, then worry about Draco. Not that he would.

--

The Great Hall was packed with students and staff all huddled up in groups talking animatedly when Harry entered. He could see a row of 5-6 vampires and about the same number of Veelas magically bound near the High Table. Some were knocked out, but most were conscious and struggling against their binds. The Veelas in particular looked furious. Dumbledore was talking with one of the vampires as Harry approached.

"Excuse me, professor?

"Ah, Harry. What is it my boy?"

_How does he know? For that matter, how did Snape know?!_

"Professor Snape said to tell you the last vampire is down, professor what's going on?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself Harry, but it seems as though there was a misunderstanding"

"But sir -"

"You may return to your friends, everything is under control for the moment."

Harry nodded albeit a little disappointed, and made his way to the Gryffindor table who had reappeared in the room as the ball had obviously come abruptly to an end. He could hear the vampire resuming his talk with the Headmaster:

"And about the entrance, we were merely putting on a show for the feast. For the All Hallows Eve anniversary," the vampire protested "although I'm not so sure of the Veelas..." he added conspiratorially. "Look!" he gestured to the hall, "no one was bitten!"

"I was!" said a voice in the crowd. It was Lavender Brown who was cradling her neck protectively.

"But she _insisted_!" yelled one of the bound vampires.

Lavender inhaled indignantly and glowered at him. A few people snickered as Harry approached the Gryffindor table.

Ron was sitting on the bench looking haggard, but flashed Harry a smile when he saw him. Hermione started flailing her arms.

"Harry where were you? We were so worried!" He smiled and said he was alright.

"Oh Harry, it was chaotic here once they appeared, a few people were caught in the crossfire..."

Harry pursed his lips at that. If it wasn't for that idiot Malfoy he'd be there helping his friends.

"And what happened to you?" Ron's hair seemed burned at the ends and he had long red lines all across his torso.

'Er... the Veelas got a bit carried away and they um-'

"'Debauched you' is the word you are searching for...' Hermione looked cross, she turned to Harry "It's their mating season". Harry found a smile was etching on his lips, he was relieved no one was really hurt...

They turned their attention to the Headmaster who was now announcing that it all had been an unfortunate misunderstanding and how sad he was the ball had to end in such a way. "Apparently," pipped in Hermione "the vampire and Veela communities in Britain send a congregation to pledge their allegiance to Dumbledore for the war. You do realize how important this is?"

"Why would they do that, they believe that Voldemort's back?" Harry asked as he watched the teachers unbinding the creatures.

"Something to do with you-know-who attacking Muggles and cutting down their food source by half" Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"How do you know that?"

"I was helping professor McGonagall earlier and overheard." They turned to the Headmaster once more who was now conversing with the same vampire, McGonagall and Snape, who had made it back to the hall and had returned to his usual appearance. Professor McGonagall looked irritated. She made her way to the food table and said

"And how do you explain _that_?" she pointed to the punch ball with obvious disgust.

Harry saw it was now filled with a deep red liquid. Probably not red wine by McGonagall's expression.

"We thought it'd be polite to bring our own drinks!" said the vampire indignantly.

McGonagall rolled her eyes. "Honestly!"

--

The Gryffindors loitered outside the hall, way too excited about the night's events to go to sleep yet.

"Can you believe it, the vampires are siding with us! And the Veelas!" Ron was apparently still bedazzled by his little Veela adventure, the details Harry had yet to hear.

"Hey Harry, you're not a bird anymore!"

Harry looked down his hands; the manicure was gone and the calluses were back. He brought his hands to his head, the plaits were gone too, as a matter of fact - he hesitantly touched his chest - so were the...!

"Now you simply look like a transvestite" pipped in Dean. "All your bits there mate?"

"Dean!"

"McGonagall passed them by, shooing students to their dorms, she gave Harry a critical one over before swishing her wand;

"There you go Potter."

His dress had transfigured to a pair of dungarees, although the annoying light blue colour remained.

"Thanks professor."

"Now up to your dormitories, all of you!" They nodded and reluctantly made their way to the tower.

Seamus caught up with them scowling. "My Firewhisky was ruined! Can you believe their cheek? Hey- where's the wee Dutch girl?"

Dean and Ron dissolved into giggles. Harry sighed and then noticed a familiar face. Malfoy was leaning against a wall surrounded by the usual crowd of Slytherins. Harry wondered where he'd been all this time, probably hiding it out in the dungeons.

_Bleeding coward..._

Draco caught his eye, and turned away quickly. For some reason Harry felt himself blushing. But seeing Draco removing himself from his friends, he deliberately let Ron and the others move ahead of him. They fell into step.

"So, Potter" said Draco conversationally, "I had no idea you were into these kind of stuff"

"What kind?"

"You know, _crossdressing_..." he whispered waggling his eyebrows.

"I am not... it was Hermione-, she-"

"'Cause if you are," continued Draco without paying attention to Harry's protest, "we could work something out."

Harry's eyes widened "What? You bloody pervert!"

Draco snickered.

"You're taking the mic aren't you? You infinite git!"

Draco snickered some more, and then added more soberly "About the..."

Harry quickly cut in,

"Let's never talk about it, okay?" Malfoy looked relieved.

"I was considering Obliviating myself for a moment there"

Harry almost smiled.

"Seriously though, how did she talk you into it?"

"She didn't. I'll just have to remember from now on never to turn my back to Hermione when she's holding her wand out. It was Fred and George's bloody 'Gender-Bender™' hex. I could have strangled her afterwards!"

"Well, never mind that it's a Weasly, it's a pretty cool hex... I wonder what Grabbe and Goyle would look like as girls."

"Eurgh I didn't need that mental image" Harry laughed covering his eyes. And then smiling, "What do you know... we're actually having a civil conversation."

"Yeah..." said Malfoy bemused. Although it could be from the bump in my head. He turned around raising his hand in a salute, "See you around, Miss Potter."

Harry watched him go down the steps that led to the dungeons. He couldn't even work the energy for a proper retort.

--

He caught up with his friends on the staircase. Ron and Seamus were bickering about something or other. Recalling something, Ron turned to Harry

"So Harry, where were you all night? We saw you leaving with a bloke, who was that guy? And were you just talking with the _ferret_?"

"Er..."

**TBC**


End file.
